Page 128 - Politics
UK minister in charge of India suspended amid assault claim
A minister in charge of India in the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) was suspended on Friday after footage showed him grabbing and forcibly ejecting a climate activist at a political event in London. Mark Field, Britain's minister of state for Asia and the Pacific, was a guest at the formal black-tie dinner event at Mansion House in London on Thursday, where UK Chancellor Philip Hammond was making a keynote speech on the state of the UK economy when he was interrupted by female protestors from the Greenpeace environmental organisation. Field was caught on camera getting up from his seat to confront one of them and forcing her towards the exit. Greenpeace accused the minister of a "disproportionate" reaction to their protest and called for an investigation. "He will be suspended as a minister while investigations take place," a Downing Street spokesperson said. The Prime Minister has seen the footage and found it very concerning. The police have said they are looking into ...
Cong-JD(S) coalition will not last long, some options will emerge: BJP
The BJP Friday said the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka will not last long and "some options" will emerge, but it does not see the possibility of mid-term polls. BJP General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao, who is in-charge of party affairs in Karnataka, said the coalition has lost the people's mandate, adding MLAs belonging to various parties in the southern state do not want mid-term polls. Reacting to former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's comments that there was no doubt that mid-term polls will be held in Karnataka, Rao said the JD(S) supremo is "exceeding his limits" and "his party which has just 37 MLAs has no power to recommend the dissolution of the House". "I do not see any mid-term election in Karnataka. The BJP does not recommend it. In my view, the present government has lost the mandate. People have outright rejected this alliance," he told reporters here. "Any further continuation (of the coalition) is creating pain and suffering for the people of ...
RJD decides to "boycott" panel discussions
Taking a cue from its alliance partner Congress and the Samajwadi Party with which it has close ties, Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal has restrained its leaders from taking part in panel discussions on news channels "until further orders". According to a communication issued by RJD national general secretary Alok Mehta, dated June 20, "as per directions of national president Lalu Prasad and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, all are informed that until further orders, no legislator, MP or any other leader shall take part in panel discussions." "It may also be noted that the current list of RJD spokespersons stands annulled and a new list will be prepared and released in due course", the communication added. "In the meantime, if any person associated with the party does take part in a panel discussion his or her views shall be deemed to be personal and not that of the party", it added. Notably, immediately after its poor show in the ..
Everything is fair in BJP brand of politics: Mayawati takes dig at TDP MPs defection
BSP supremo Mayawati Friday ridiculed the BJP for "engineering defection" of four TDP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, saying "everything is fair in BJP brand of politics". "Yesterday when the President was giving assurances to the country on the behalf of the government, the BJP on the same day engineered defection of four TDP MPs," she tweeted. In a boost to the BJP, four of the six TDP MPs in the Rajya Sabha joined the party on Thursday and sought merger of the TDP Legislature Party with it in the Upper House. Mayawati said the BJP had earlier dubbed two of these MPs as "corrupt", but now after joining their party, the lawmakers have become "doodh ka dhula" (pure). "It is clear that everything is fair in BJP brand of politics and nothing is wrong," she remarked. The breakaway Telugu Desam Party (TDP) faction includes Y S Chowdary, C M Ramesh, Garikapati Mohan Rao and T G Venkatesh.
British minister suspended for manhandling protester
A British minister was suspended on Friday after he was filmed physically removing a climate change protester from a dinner in London. Mark Field accosted the female activist as she walked towards finance minister Phillip Hammond, pushing her against a column before frogmarching her out of the room. Prime Minister Theresa May's office said it had suspended the junior Foreign Office minister. "The prime minister has seen the footage and she found it very concerning," Downing Street said. "He will be suspended as a minister while investigations take place." Police said they were following up on a "small number" reports of an assault. Greenpeace activist Areeba Hamid said she was "shocked at the footage of an elected MP and government minister assaulting one of our peaceful protesters". Field told ITV that he "deeply" regretted his actions, saying that "in the confusion many guests understandably felt threatened and when one protester rushed past me towards the top table". "There was no
TN Govt responsible for water crisis in Chennai: DMK MP Elangovan
DMK MP T K S Elangovan on Friday lashed out at the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu for its failure to make alternate arrangements to tackle the water crisis faced by the state, especially Chennai."It is a total failure of the Tamil Nadu Government. They should have assessed the need and availability of water in the state. Since last year there has been low rainfall. They should have made alternate arrangements," he said.He further said that the DMK government had started work on three desalination plants but the AIADMK dispensation did not continue work on this front."During the DMK regime, we made three desalination plants. In 2015, the then Chief Minister Jayalalitha promised that there will be three more desalination plants. But the AIADMK government did not move an inch on it," he said.DMK supporters and local residents in Arambakkam area protested and raised slogans against the chief minister and the state government. The protesters were seen holding empty pots, demanding water
Nation-building, YS Chowdary gives reason for joining BJP
Telugu Desam Rajya Sabha MP Y S Chowdary, who switched sides to BJP on Thursday, defended his action on Friday saying he wants to engage in nation-building exercise."I am not a career politician. I joined BJP to get involved in nation-building exercise. I joined politics only to do good for the country," he told reporters, a day after he and three other Telugu Desam members of Rajya Sabha--C M Ramesh, TG Venkatesh and G Mohan Rao merged themselves with the BJP."We have seen the mood of the nation in the recent election. So I thought that it can be a really good platform to serve as a Member of Parliament," Chawdary, who faces a probe by various revenue agencies of the Centre in an alleged bank fraud, said.The MPs, who met Rajya Sabha Chairman and conveyed their decision to merge with BJP, were later formally admitted to BJP by its Working President JP Nadda.On Thursday, Chowdary had said, "We have joined to work for the nation and particularly for the state of Andhra Pradesh. ..
Capitals of Assam, Arunachal, Tripura connected by broad gauge
The capitals of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura have been connected by broad gauge rail network and the government plans to connect all state capitals of North Eastern states by 2020 except Sikkim, the Rajya Sabha was informed Friday. In the case of Sikkim, a new line work has been sanctioned up to Rangpo in the first phase, he said. Replying to a question if the target of connecting state capitals of North Eastern States by 2020 would be met, Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi Channabasappa said the speed of execution is good, though completion of projects is related to availability of land. The House was also informed that the average annual expenditure in new line/gauge conversion/doubling infrastructure projects during 2014-19 was Rs 25,894 crore per year as against Rs 11,527 crore per year during 2009-14, up around 125 per cent. The average allotment per year for North Eastern states was Rs 2,121 crore per year from 2009-14. However, it increased 161
My mid-term polls remark was about local body polls, and not for Assembly polls: Gowda
After his 'mid-term election' remark, JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda on Friday clarified that his comment was about the local body elections, and not for the Assembly polls in the state."I said it for local body elections and not for the Assembly elections. I am here to build my party. As HD Kumaraswamy mentioned, the coalition government will continue for the next four years. There is an understanding between the JDS and the Congress party," Gowda told reporters here.Amid simmering differences between the two allies, Gowda had claimed that mid-term elections would "no doubt" be held in in the state."There is no doubt that there will be mid-term polls. They (Congress) said they will support us for five years but look at their behaviour now. Our people are smart," he had said.He also had also claimed that he did not want his son HD Kumaraswamy to become the Chief Minister of the state."People are carefully watching everything. I did not ask them for a coalition government. I did not ask for
Puducherry power tussle: SC defers hearing to July 10
The Supreme Court on Friday deferred to July 10 the hearing in the case related to power struggle between the Lieutenant Governor (LG) and the elected government of the Union Territory of Puducherry.The Vacation bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant, after a brief hearing, posted the matter to July 10 on the pleas filed by Centre and Puducherry LG Kiran Bedi who had challenged the Madras High Court order, which curbed her power not to interfere in the day-to-day administration.During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Congress-led Puducherry government said in the court that the Cabinet had taken three decisions in the meeting including distribution of free rice to ration card holders and it may be allowed to continue so as it has been doing so for the last ten years.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and Bedi, contended that there is no objection to the distribution of rice to persons below the poverty line.On June 4, amid a ...
Pink slip for Kerala IAS officer's war against corruption?
A Kerala cadre IAS officer, known for his staunch stand against corruption, Friday said he would fight legally against the reported move of the state government to terminate him from the service. Raju Narayana Swamy, a civil service examination topper of the 1991 batch, was reacting to reports in a section of the media that the government has recommended to the Centre to terminate him from the service. The additional chief secretary rank official still has 10 more years to retire. The Kerala government has not officially reacted to the media reports. The reported move by the government came at a time when he was engaged in a legal battle against the central government's decision to repatriate him from the post of chairman of Coconut Development Board to his parent cadre, the government of Kerala. The Kerala High Court has stayed the order to repatriate Swamy from the post of chairman of the board. "I have no official information about the decision to terminate me from ...
China ramps up search for N Korean escapees: UN official
China may have intensified its lookout for North Koreans who have escaped the reclusive state to Chinese territory, a senior UN official said on Friday. Beijing currently works with Pyongyang to send escapees who are arrested in China back to the repressive regime, which subjects them to severe punishments such as imprisonment and torture. And Tomas Ojea Quintana, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the North, believes China "may have strengthened the search". "I have been receiving an increasing number of individual cases of North Korean escapees, including children, detained in Shenyang City, in China's Liaoning province," he said. "Information suggests that China may have strengthened the search for North Korean escapees." The impoverished but nuclear-armed nation stands accused by the UN of "systematic, widespread and gross" human rights violations that range from rape, torture, extrajudicial killings to running political prisoner camps. Pyongyang calls such ..
No doubt mid-term polls will happen in Karnataka, says Gowda
In a sign of growing tensions in the ruling alliance in Karnataka, former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda Friday said there was no doubt there would be mid-term polls to the state assembly. Gowda also said he did not know how long the Congress-JD(S) government, headed by his son H D Kumaraswamy, would continue and it was in the hands of the senior coalition partner. "There is no doubt that there will be mid-term polls. They (Congress) had said they will give support to us for five years. I am watching all the developments and their behaviour. Our people are intelligent enough. We need not have to teach them," he told reporters here. Gowda's salvo came amid reports that Congress Legislature Party leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah had conveyed to party president Rahul Gandhi that the alliance was causing damage to the grand old party and it became clear in the recent Lok Sabha polls' outcome. The BJP had crushed the Congress and JD(S), winning 25 of the 28 ...
'Operation Bandar' was IAF's code name for Balakot airstrike
"In order to maintain secrecy and ensure that the plans don't leak out, the Balakot operations were given the codename Operation Bandar," senior defence sources said.Without detailing any specific reason behind the name, sources said monkeys have always held a special place in India's war culture as seen in the epic Ramayana, where Lord Rama's lieutenant Lord Hanuman quietly sneaked into Lanka and destroyed the entire capital city of the demon Ravana.On February 26, 12 Mirages having taken off from multiple air bases crossed over into the Pakistani air space and carried out missile attacks on Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Balakot town of Khyber Pakhtunwa province.The attacks carried out by the Indian Air Force, pilots had dropped five Spice 2000 bombs out of which four penetrated the rooftops of the building in which the terrorists were sleeping.The attacks were carried out at 3.30 AM and within a few minutes after dropping the bombs on their designated targets, the Indian Air Force
Standing Group Of Secretaries Constituted For Promotion Of Industry And Internal Trade
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Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia demands Delhi's share of Rs 6,000 crore from central taxes
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Friday demanded Delhi's share of Rs 6,000 crore from central taxes and said the city has been getting only Rs 325 crore for the last 18 years. Sisodia, who also holds finance portfolio in the Arvind Kejriwal government, also demanded the creation of a separate fund for Delhi municipal corporations on the lines of other state civic bodies. The deputy chief minister made these demands at a pre-budget meeting of finance ministers, convened by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Sitharaman, the first full-time woman finance minister, is set to present her maiden Budget on July 5 in the Lok Sabha. "At the pre-budget meeting with Union finance minister, I demanded Rs 6,000 for Delhi from central taxes. Delhi has been getting Rs 325 crore for 18 years. "The people of Delhi give Rs 1.5 lakh crore as central taxes. Other states get 42 per cent of share from central taxes," Sisodia tweeted in Hindi. The city government, led by Arvind Kejriwal, had ...
Pentagon is without a chief as US faces many global threats
It's a difficult time for the Pentagon to be without a permanent US defence secretary. The Trump administration is grappling with an escalating crisis with Iran, an unusual and controversial deployment of troops to the US-Mexico border, the nearly two-decade-old war in Afghanistan and stalled talks with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program. Amid all that, and more, acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan stepped down this week and the man tapped to replace him on an interim basis appears to face legal hurdles that could initially prevent him from serving more than about six more weeks. It's an unusual level of uncertainty for one of the most important jobs in the administration. "This is a very difficult time. With everything going on in Iran and all the provocations and counteractions, and to have no Secretary of Defence at this time is appalling," said Democratic Sen Chuck Schumer of New York. "It shows the chaos in this administration. They have so many empty positions, ..
BJP demands CBI inquiry into Bhatpara firing incident
The BJP on Friday accused the Bengal police administration of acting as "TMC cadres" and demanded a CBI inquiry into the firing incident at Bhatpara, which the party leaders said, left two dead and several injured. Clashes broke out between two groups, suspected to be affiliated to the TMC and the BJP, in the area on Thursday, with locals alleging that the deaths were because of police firing. BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya held a meeting with state BJP leaders during the day to discuss the next course of action following the incident. "Mamata Banerjee and her party goons along with police have turned Bengal into killing fields just because the BJP won 18 Lok Sabha seats in the state. "The kind of terror they have let loose in Bengal is unprecedented. They are trying to wipe out BJP cadres and voters from the Bhatpara area. But this will not yield any result," Vijayvargia said. BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said, the saffron party would seek a .
Australia Market falls amid persisting trade angst, geopolitical tensions
Investors' focus has now shifted to a meeting between US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping during a Group of 20 summit in Japan next week, with hopes that they can put negotiations back on track to de-escalate a trade war. Trump said that he would decide whether to carry out his threat to hit Beijing with tariffs on at least $300 billion in Chinese goods after the meeting.
Yoga more beneficial than work out, says Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir, the newly elected Member of Parliament, said that for sportsmen, yoga is more beneficial than gymming. The former batsman performed the spiritual and ascetic discipline on the 5th International Yoga Day on Friday."Yoga is very important as a sports person and sportsmen always do yoga. Both gyming and yoga are important but yoga helps in building concentration power and keeps you calm and peaceful to take better decisions," he added.The 37-year-old batsman played for more than 15 years for India and scored 4154 runs in 58 Test matches. In 147 ODIs he had 5238 runs under his name."Yoga does not only makes your body fit but also keeps you in mental peace. If your mind is healthy then this country will remain healthy," Gambhir told to reporters during the Yoga event at Delhi.Just before the 2019 general elections, he joined the Bhartiya Janata Party and won the election contesting from East Delhi seat.